Fidelity Research cartridges

Hi Ddriveman, the MCX-5 has nothing to do with the FR-7 series cartridges.
Not in terms of construction/design - nor in terms of sonic virtues.
This is however often claimed to be the case by sellers to get a higher price for their MCX-5 or MC-201/202.
The only other cartridge of the FR-line up worth getting and mentioning is the FR-1 MK3 F.

Dear T_bone, no worries about the low source impedance of the FR-7 family carts. Some Kondo, Ortofon MC-5000 and many other low output MCs do have similar low impedances. However I strongly recommend using a low impedance matching step-up transformer to offer the FR-7's coil inductance a matching partner - that way you will fully appreciate its sonic virtues and only then its full potential sees the light of day.

I am using FR-7fc, FR-7f (special modified) and FR-702 in my FR-66s/B-60. This combination - together with a suitable step-up - gave peace of mind to me and the tonearm/cartridge-question.

And yes - among the 30+ FR-7-series cartridges passing through my hands in the past 20 years there wasn't one single sample with a giving in suspension. These beast do live forever!! My prime sample has by now its 3rd stylus and about 5000 hours behind in its 25 years since birth.....

The FR-64s is a much better partner for any FR-7 as compared to the 506/30. Second only - by a small margin and only in direct comparism - to the FR-66s.

And indeed - the FR-7 was first named FR-1 MK7 - I do have the original first flyer at hand. FR claimed that it was a direct successor to the FR-1.

Dear Jcarr, even if the FR-7 series do have little in common in physical appearance with the FR-1 series, it nevertheless was initially named FR-1 MK7 in the very first commercial product sheet/brochure FR published about its new cartridge.
The actual samples which were brought on the market were however always named FR-7 (guess they simply "dropped" the "FR-1"-destination and made the "MK7" to "7" to document the new series and new design).

BTW - you might - if you haven't already done so... - give your Titan i a test in your FR-64s. The combo gives astonishing good results - despite the less great mass/compliance combination.

Cheers,

Dear Marco, you may simply use a good - solid - shrink tube and fit it over the armtube. It will dampen the armtube as will blue-tec or similar damping materials.
However - I still am sure, that the FR-64s does not need that special treatment. It will alter the sound - no doubt (already by increase moving mass). But that is always a matter of match with the cartridge in use.
Todays cartridges often tend to be very present in the top-octaves.
Here it might "tame" the sound.

Cheers,
D.

Dear Jcarr, dear T_bone, I assume that the Micro LC-80W is an OEM Nagaoka cartridge. Am I right?? Micro Seiki certainly hadn't put up a cartridge assembly facility of their own. Anyone out there with info about this?

Thanks, D.

Hi Steve, the XL55 and XL88 Pro cartridges are very interesting cartridges indeed. I had 2 samples of each during the past 6 years.
However - they do have little in common with the FR-7-series ( or FR-1 MK7..... I have found the original data-sheet with exactly this destination again - will make a photo tomorrow and post it) aside from both being an integrated headshell design and both featuring comparatively wide and hefty housings.

I do have the remains of a destroyed FR-7f at hand. According to one engineer at Munich Fraunhofer Institue the magnets are Alnico indeed.
And they are VERY big compared to most other cartridges.
The FR-702 does feature a significant shorter cantilever compared to the original FR-7-versions and thus the moving mass is considerably less resulting in improved low level detail and recreation of tiny details in the sonic picture.
You should NOT interchange a FR-7 with a FR-702 WITHOUT checking the adjustment of the geometry. It may very well be the case, that now the stylus sits somewhere else as before with the FR-7..........
VERY similar in sound and output (despite the claim that it had the very same output voltage in the data-sheets, I found on the 4-5 samples I had that the output was rather 0.15mV ) to the FR-7f.
Cheers,
D.
Cheers,
D.

Cheers,
D.